Renegade House Elf
by The Chair Faerie
Summary: Sprinkles, a house elf has been dismissed from her master. She finds her way into Hogwarts where she meets the house elf Winky, and must come to terms with her expulsion and perhaps discover her master's plot in Hogwarts. *chapter 3 up*
1. Dismisal

            Sprinkles trudged through the dense green grass to Hogwarts Castle. Her tall, bat-like ears were hidden beneath a woolen hat and she heaved with sobs. A small pack rested on her back with the only other thing she owned in the world besides the tea towel she wore and woolen hat upon her head; a small cotton t-shirt which had once belonged to her master's son. _Master, she cried, her entire body convulsing into sobs. __Sprinkles did not mean to Master, Sprinkles did not. Nonetheless, the damage was done, and her master lay in a cell in Azkaban. If she had not followed him- betrayed him that day. _

            She remembered him yelling at her angrily as the Ministry officers restrained him, finally throwing at her the hat and t-shirt. She turned around to find Master's wife and son staring at her angrily too, looking at her in disgust. She ran. She ran far, far away until now, walking on the lawn of Hogwarts Castle. She had failed her duty as a house elf. She was sure that Hogwarts would allow her to work. After all, they had allowed that disgrace Dobby to work there for pay. Why should they not let her work either? Perhaps maybe then Master would take her back. _Yes, Sprinkles must prove herself a good elf and Master will take Sprinkles back, she thought desperately. _

            A huge rumbling erupted from Sprinkles' stomach. Only then she realized that she had not eaten for nearly a week; she had not eaten since she had left Master. She began to run, a sudden fright rising throughout her body. She could feel her body getting weaker and weaker as it began to slip away from her. The world bounced up and down through her large, saucery eyes almost seeming to fall away from her. She continued to run. She was almost there... Almost there....

* * *

            "Who... who..."

            Sprinkles woke up, realizing that she lay on a small, soft bed, and that two eyes were looking down upon her.

            "Who is you?" the other elf said in her high squeaky voice.

            "I is Sprinkles," she replied. "Where is I?" Sprinkles asked finally.

            "Sprinkles is in Hogwarts Castle," the other elf explained, "and I is Winky."        

            Sprinkles looked at the other elf, and noticed that she wore a dark, navy blue dress, much like the one Mistress wore. She did not wear a tea towel, the mark of a house elf, and instantly she was repulsed by this Winky. 

            "Why is Winky wearing a dress?" Sprinkles asked, almost scornfully.

            "Winky has no master," the other elf said finally after a long pause, in which Winky's eyes almost seemed to fill with tears. "But Winky does not get paid," the elf said finally, seeing Sprinkles' scornful look. "Winky does not get paid, and Winky never will. No, paying is not the mark of a good house elf."

            Sprinkles cast down her eyes, almost afraid of this strange elf. "Sprinkles is hungry," she said finally. 

            "Eat some of this soup from the elves in the kitchen. Does Sprinkles know that Hogwarts has some of the best house elves in the world?" Winky said. "Sprinkles will be very welcome at Hogwarts."

            "I is not a good elf," Sprinkles replied, a huge tear falling into her soup. "No, I is a bad elf. Master... Master..." she cried. Her body began to rack with sobs. Soup spilled all over the bed. 

            Winky looked with pitying eyes on the younger elf. "I knows how Sprinkles feels," she whispered, almost to herself. "I knows how Sprinkles feels." 

* * *

            The last day of August past and Sprinkles still lay in the small bed, sobbing, occasionally calling out for her master. The elves were soon on their way to preparing the back to school feast for the Hogwarts students. Sprinkles sat in front of the oven, mournfully watching potatoes bake. All around her the rest of the elves were busy. As they past her, their heads unconsciously turned, and she could almost hear them whispering amongst themselves. _Yes, I knows, Sprinkles though sadly. __I is a bad elf. Master does not care for Sprinkles anymore. Master has given Sprinkles clothes. She hiccupped pathetically. _

            Sprinkles pulled her tea towel toga up; it had begun to fall down her shoulder. She was not even worthy to wear this tea towel with the Hogwarts crest printed upon it. _Sprinkles is a bad elf, she thought once more. She blew her nose into the toga, sniffling once more. __Master needs Sprinkles. Tears began to well up in her eyes. Surely, Master could not survive without her. __Master needs Sprinkles! _

            She sat there sobbing in front of the baking potatoes. One of the elves passing by saw her, and along with another, they brought her back to the small bed. Sprinkles had not even bothered to learn any of their names. Surely, Master would want her back soon. _Master needs Sprinkles! she thought finally before collapsing into a small white pillow.  _


	2. Good Elf For Hogwarts

                The feast was about to begin, and the elves were piling on platters of food onto the four tables. Sprinkles sauntered back and forth watching all the busy elves around her. The walked out the tall kitchen door, and began to roam the halls of Hogwarts. The peeked past a corner, glancing at the Great Hall filled with students. In front she could see an aged woman, placing an ancient hat over the head of a little girl. There was a silence, and suddenly the hat yelled out, "Ravenclaw!" But Sprinkles was deaf to all noise, except her grief. 

            The woman read another name from a long parchment, and out came a young boy with blond hair and malicious green eyes. He walked with an air, and as Sprinkles looked on, she could almost remember him. He sat on the stool and the hat was placed over his head. In silence, they all watched until suddenly there was a loud, "SLYTHERIN!" from the hat. The sound jolted Sprinkles up as her memory finally placed the boy to who he was. _Master's son_, she thought. _Master's son is at Hogwarts! Surely Master must need me now! _Sprinkles hiccupped, a sob now rising up her body. She could not bear thinking of her Master.

            "Sprinkles!" a high, squeaky voice said behind her. "Sprinkles is not supposed to leave the kitchen." Sprinkles turned around to see Winky in her navy blue dress behind her. It seemed as if Winky never changed from her suit, but nonetheless it had always managed to stay clean. "We is not to leave the kitchen unless we is doing a job somewhere else. 'Tis not good to be seen! We is wanting to be good house elfs," Winky continued.

            "But I is not a good house elf!" Sprinkles cried loudly, causing a few heads at the back of the House Tables to turn around. 

            "Well, you has to try to be a good house elf for Hogwarts. Do not worry about your master. Master... Master is okay," Winky said, the last words drifting off into a whisper. "I is knowing how you feel, and I is saying that you has to try to be a good Hogwarts elf!"

            Sprinkles looked down at her toes, thinking about Winky's words. But how could she be a good house elf for Hogwarts if Master needed her? Finally, filling for the awkward silence between them, Sprinkles spoke, "Master's son is at Hogwarts. He is in Slytherin, I thinks." 

* * *

            _"Sprinkles!" the man yelled loudly at the small elf huddled in the corner. "You know I cannot keep a servant who has no loyalty!" The man tugged forward, pulling away from the Ministry officer holding him back. "You know what this means don't you?!"_

_            Sprinkles shook her head unsure, her eyes filled with shame and disgrace. _

_            "Clothes!" the man yelled loudly with a menacing grin. Behind him, a woman and boy looked at her, eyes filled with disgust._

_            "Clothes! Master, please... No, Master! You can't! Master needs Sprinkles!" the elf cried, starting to sob. The man pulled against the Ministry officer once again._

_            "Yes, clothes," he said, freeing his arm and throwing her a small white cotton t-shirt. "I have no more need for you! Go!"_

_            Sprinkles looked down at the t-shirt she had caught. Her eyes looked back and forth from her master Her eyes filling with tears. She new she should run, but her legs would not move._

_            "Damn you elf!" the man yelled, reaching for a wand of the table. The Ministry officer was quick, taking out his wand and finally putting a full body bind on the man. Her master lay still on the floor, gazing at her with angry eyes. The elf ran._

In her bed, Sprinkles woke up with a sad pathetic cry, "Master!" She looked around, realizing that she was still at Hogwarts. She would see Master's son tomorrow. Surely he would tell her how much they needed her back home. __

* * *

            Sprinkles mournfully set the beds in the Slytherin dormitories. Usually Winky had this job, but the elder elf had insisted that she liked being in the kitchens better. Whatever reason, Sprinkles was glad: she could be closer to Master's son. The room was empty. That was a good thing, as Sprinkles could not bear to be seen by anyone yet.

            Carefully she folded the sheets, each bed was perfectly set. She would listen to Winky's advice: she would be a good elf until her master came back for her. She sat lightly on a finished bed, not ruffling or wrinkling any of the sheets. She held a sob back. _Sprinkles must not cry! Sprinkles must be a good elf for Hogwarts! _she thought.

            Suddenly footsteps came up towards the dorm. With a snap, Sprinkles disappeared. 

            The boy with blond hair and green eyes walked in.


	3. Seen!

                Sprinkles had always done her best to serve her wizard family. Her mother, her grandmother, and many generations before had served this same family; a very long time as house elves had longer life spans than wizards. She had seen Master's birth (though she had been very young at the time) and had delivered Master's son. Master's son who was at Hogwarts. Master and Master's son were very alike, both slightly pale with the same malicious green eyes. The two even had the same confident gait.

                _Master had always treated Sprinkles well_, thought the elf from her small bed. It was true: he had been a harsh master, but he had been fair. Most importantly, he demanded complete, utter loyalty. _And I was not a loyal elf! _Sprinkles thought mournfully. _No! I must be a good elf for Hogwarts! Sprinkles must not cry! _she told herself silently, holding back a huge sob rising from her throat. _I must show Master that I am a good elf! Then master will want me back! _she thought desperately. _But Master is in Azkaban... and it is all Sprinkles fault!_

                Nonetheless, Sprinkles rose out of bed and placed a new white tea towel about her, ready to fix the beds in the Slytherin dormitory. Sprinkles stood by a stack of clean Slytherin bed sheets. With a _SNAP! _both she and the bed sheets had disappeared.

                A second later Winky came sprinting into the room. "Wait Sprinkles! Not now!" But the other elf was nowhere to be seen.

* * *

                _Sprinkles knew all of Master's secrets. She knew that Master was not a good wizard according to the standards of the Ministry of Magic, but what did they know? _No, Master is a good wizard, _Sprinkles often told herself. _

_                She knew that Master had somehow been involved with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, that he had a very lowly opinion of Muggles and Muggle-Born wizards, and that Master even knew the Dark Arts. _That is why Master is not a good wizard for the Ministry of Magic. But Master is still a good wizard!

                _She also knew that Master was from an old wizarding family and had inherited many items whose purposes were for the Dark Arts. The doorbell rang. "Get it Sprinkles," said the Mistress from the kitchen. Obediently, Sprinkles opened the door. Outside stood a group of men in dark robes and badges that read, "The Ministry of Magic."_

_                "We need to talk to you elf," said the man closest to the front._

* * *

                Sprinkles snapped into the Slytherin dormitory. Heads turned as she suddenly appeared included the head of a certain blond haired boy, with emerald eyes. "Sprinkles..." he began. Stunned, Sprinkles disappeared as suddenly as she had appeared. 

                Sprinkles ran to her little bed where she lay crying for what seemed like an eternity. "I is not a good house elf! I is seen!" she sobbed. "Master is not wanting Sprinkles back! Sprinkles is a failure! Sprinkles is a disgrace to all house elfs!"

                "No, you is not, Sprinkles. 'Tis my fault," said Winky from her side. "Winky forgot to tell you not to go today. Winky is very sorry."

                "No! I is a bad elf! I is a bad elf for Master _and _Hogwarts!' Sprinkles cried.

                " 'Tis okay, 'tis okay. You is a good house elf," Winky comforted. "Stop crying... stop crying..."


End file.
